Courage - Wreath II

It is so great having different moms run the meeting.  Each one brings their own special talents.  I think it's good for the girls to get to be proud of their moms too.

This month, Shannon led the meeting.  It became evident right away that Shannon is a teacher!!  Wow, I got some great ideas from her.  After our opening prayers and handing out the badges from the month before, she had the girls sit on a big, comfy looking quilt.  She asked the girls what courage meant.  There were lots of hands going up to answer.

She then read the book, The Story of Ruby Bridges.  This was an excellent example of courage and faith.  I had never heard of Ruby Bridges before.  Just briefly, Ruby Bridges was a 6 year old, African American girl during the 1960 who attended a New Orleans school after court-ordered desegregation.  The book talks about the mobs of angry people that Ruby had to walk through each day.  Wow, talk about needing courage.  It also told of her praying for the people.  The girls all seemed to enjoy the book.

After the story, Shannon handed out little smiley faces on popsicle sticks.  On one side, the face was smiling with the word, courageous.  The other side was a frowny face with the word, foolish.  Shannon read several situations that they might encounter and the girls had to decide whether it was courageous or foolish.  One of the examples was about peer pressure.  Since I know some of our Little Flowers have been experiencing peer pressure lately, it was great having the idea of being courageous and doing the right thing reinforced.

It was then time for a craft.  Shannon shared a bracelet that she was wearing that she had made.  She said that it helped to remind her to be courageous.  The girls then got to all pick out beads and make their own courageous bracelets.  Before the girls got to work, Shannon hung a large list of ideas up of what they could do after they were done with their work.  She had brought a bunch of books that they could read on courage.  She also included some of the badge activities.  It was nice to get a couple of the activities done before we even got home from the meeting.

This is my daughter's bracelet.  She was so funny.  It took her forever as she searched for all the animal beads and one flower. The girls definitely liked making the bracelets.  Both of my daughters wore them to school this morning.

The meeting ended and the girls were able to play outside a little while.  It's great when they can get outside and just have some free time to play.  I think it really helps them to bond.  Now it's on to getting everything ready for our big sleepover on Friday!!

Spring Activities

May is fast approaching and before things get really crazy, I thought I would post about some of our upcoming events.   We have two big activities coming up, our mother/daughter sleep over at the church and
then our Spring tea.

I know a sleep over with a bunch of girls might sound a little crazy, but last year we did it, and it was so much fun!!  Believe it or not, the girls actually did go to sleep.   We do crafts, play games, watch a short movie, pray the rosary and have lots of slumber party fun.  I will definitely post pictures after the big event.

Our other activity is the Spring tea.  Last year it was a mother/daughter tea.  This year, we decided to invite the Ladies Auxiliary to join us.  We thought it would be a great way to get the different groups of the parish together.  We will also be putting on a modesty fashion show for the ladies.  The girls will model a modest church outfit and then change for a modest play outfit.  They are SO EXCITED!!!

We are going to have a display table set up at both events with a preview of all the virtues that we worked on this year.  I thought it would be a good reminder for the girls before the tea.  Then for the tea, they would be ready in case any of the ladies ask about what they have learned.  I got the idea of doing scrapbook pages from Jessica over at Shower of Roses.  I changed it a little to include a little picture or idea of what activity we worked on for the month.  Pictures of the virtues we have done so far are below.  Hopefully I will have a chance to take pictures of the display.

I love seeing how excited the girls are getting for these activities.  It seems like it's all they have been talking about all year.  Can't wait to come back and post pictures of all the fun things that we did!!

                                         

 

Tea Party Etiquette 101

To get ready for our tea party this spring, we had a practice with a lesson in etiquette.  I set the tables with the church's dishes (wanted to save the china for the big party).   We had lemonade and served some fruit and angel food cake kabobs, rice krispie treats and some fresh fruits and veggies.  It gave the girls a chance to practice going through a buffet line and pouring their own punch.  I want them to feel confident at their tea party.

After the girls got their food, we started our lesson.  There was a lot of information to go over, but I certainly didn't want the girls to feel overwhelmed.  I came up with a great way for them to remember the most important manners.  I cut out paper flowers using my Silhouette and placed the manner in the middle of each flower.  As we reviewed the manners, the girls would find their flower and put it in their vase which was just a jam jar filled with some rice.  The girls were really paying attention and when I mentioned one of the manners, they would start waving their flower in the air.

The girls got to take their bouquets home with them to share with their families.  I encouraged them to practice them every night at dinner.  By the time the tea party comes, they will be little manner experts!!

Here is a list of the manners on their flowers:

• No Burping
• Elbows off the Table
• Chew with your Mouth Closed
• Use Please and Thank You
• Napkin in your Lap
• Speak Kind Words
• Use Proper Utensils
• Bottom on Seat 

I think we all learned something about manners and tea party etiquette this evening.  I know I learned a lot as I researched for the meeting.  Our family is certainly guilty of using poor manners at the dinner table and a lot of it is just laziness on my part.  This was a fun way to review for moms and daughters.

Justice - Wreath II

Wow, I would say of all the virtues this year, Justice has to have been the hardest to come up with a lesson or craft. Thankfully, I didn't have to do it, hence the smiling ruler.  I couldn't even come up with a picture let alone a whole lesson.   Jessica had signed up for this month's virtue and luckily she is so well organized that her whole lesson was written out.  Rather than trying to describe it, I am going to just copy and paste the whole thing right here.

Thank You Jessica for the great job!



Justice

ASK- What is Justice? The strong and firm will to give each his due. - Thomas Aquinas.

• It’s a moral virtue that helps us work diligently to give God and others their due. This does not imply that exactly the same is due to each person. Giving everyone the same opportunity.

• Give examples – example a candy scramble….everyone starts out with the same opportunities and they all end up with different amounts of candy. It would be right that to point out that is one child ended up not getting any or just 1 piece, to put yourself in their shoes and treat them the way you would want..maybe share some with them.

• Justice is a virtue that deals with individuals and a society as a whole. It is within Justice that we can fulfill Christ's command to "love your neighbor as yourself". We can't truly love someone we do not know but we can give them justice...and in that justice there is love. Love is putting someone else first in your life; taking care of what they need before taking care of your needs. The golden rule is love in action; treating others well, because others are as important as you are. Jesus said that Christians' love and caring for each other would be how the world identified us.

ASK- what is the Golden Rule? In the bible ( Matthew 7:12) "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets."

• One of the first moral lessons taught to you as children is to treat each other as you want to be treated. Example- sharing a swing at the playground, sharing toy with a sibling. Remembering the moral law of “Do Good, Avoid Evil” we see that justice is necessary for natural human perfection.

ASK- Invite girls to “Imagine what the world would be like if every person on the planet lived according to the Golden Rule.”

• God has always given His people guidance on how they should treat one another. We tend to be selfish, unless trained otherwise. But God wants us to be considerate of others. He said that we should treat others they way we would like to be treated.

ASK - How do you like to be treated? With respect, listened to, not interrupted, loved, share things with, treated fairly, honest with, follow through on promises. If we like these things from others, it is only natural that others would like us to treat them the same.

3 types of Justice.

1. Commutative – form of justice that we owe our family and neighbors. ( fair standard of giving and receiving. This is the one we will concentrate on most) - it would include using the golden rule.

2. Distributive - city protecting a citizen. (If you call the fire dept. they are going to come and help you. It doesn’t matter who you are, or if they even like you or not, how much $ you have,they are going to come and help you..because it is the right thing to do.)

3. Legal - need to follow rules. (What is a car comes to a stop sign and doesn’t feel like stopping? What if nobody felt like stopping at a stop sign? If even if there isn’t a policeman around you still gotta stop because you don’t want to crash your car or hurt someone.)

You don’t follow rules because you don’t want to get punished, you do it because it is the right
thing to do.

Another dimension of the virtue of Justice is the virtue of Religion. While is might seem
unusual to view religion as a virtue, it needs to be seen as the worship that is due to God
as the first principle in all things. This is the most important virtue that is derived from
justice.

ASK- girls- How many gave things up or did extra special things during Lent?

• Devotions, sacrifices, presence at mass- It is not out of mere habit that we should do these things, but rather because it is JUST to do them. It’s God’s right to expect them from us.

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation

Jessica got information about Blessed Mary of the Incarnation from here.



The girls were then paired up and did some skits to practice being just.

SKITS –

I hear “It’s not Fair” around my house all the time….Something might not seem fair to you or I. BUT, sometimes when we look beyond ourselves at the bigger picture, what seems unfair can actually be the right decision because it is just. Remember… This does not mean that exactly the same is given to each person.


SKIT 1

Incorrect Way:

Parent: Why did you eat that? I just said we were having dinner.

Child: I was hungry and you already said it would be a minute and it has been a lot longer.

Parent: (yelling) Why do you never listen??!? I don’t know what to do with you. That’s it! You can’t go anywhere for the 4 months!

Is the parent being just? What should the parent maybe do to be just? People need to be corrected, there needs to be consequences to help people learn and make the world a better place, but some punishments are too harsh and not justly given.

Correct Way:

Parent: Why did you eat that? I just said we were having dinner.

Child: I was hungry and you already said it would be a minute and it has been a lot longer.

Parent: (in a calm voice) I know it is hard to be patient sometimes, but dinner is taking me a little longer than I thought. Maybe you can try to be a little more patient next time. Please help me be faster by setting the table….and after dinner help me clean up the dishes since you didn’t listen.


SKIT 2

Incorrect Way:

Child 1: Hey, Angie was really mean to me today….she took my jump rope.

Child 2: Really? Why?

Child 1: I don’t know, but I don’t like her…she’s mean. I think I am going to go take her candy when she is not looking.

(Child 1 takes candy from behind Angie’s back while she is talking to someone else.)

Did child 1 treat Angie justly? What do you think she should have done?
It is important to let someone know that you were unhappy with them if they weren’t being nice to you. But….even though Angie was mean to her, she still should have treated her justly….
Treat others the way that you want to be treated, even if they are meant to you.

Correct Way:

Child 1: Hey, Angie was really mean to me today….she took my jump rope.

Child 2: Really? Why?

Child 1: I don’t know, but I guess I should go talk to her about it….it’s really bothering me.
(Child 1 does not take the candy. She goes to talk to Angie.)

SKIT 3

Incorrect Way:

Big Sister: I can’t wait to eat this cake…I’ve been looking forward to this all day!

Little Sister: Me too…It’s my favorite kind!

Big Sister: There is only 1 piece left…let me cut it.

(Big Sister cuts the cake into 1 really large piece and 1 really small piece and gives Little Sister the really small piece)

Big Sister: Here you go, little sister….enjoy your cake.

Did the Big Sister treat her Little Sister with justice? What do you think she should have done?
Be just…even to your siblings! Yes….the same siblings that may get on your nerves. God calls us to be just….. all the time….. to everyone!

Correct Way:

Big Sister: I can’t wait to eat this cake…I’ve been looking forward to this all day!

Little Sister: Me too…It’s my favorite kind!

Big Sister: There is only 1 piece left… Why don’t I cut it and you can choose which piece you would like first?

Little Sister: ok.(she chooses which to eat) thanks!

Big Sister: yummmmmm!

Little Sister: yummmmmm!

SKIT 4

Incorrect Way:

Girl: I don’t want to give things up for Lent. I don’t want to say extra prayers tonight. I’m not going to do that.

Mom: Why?

Girl: Because I don’t feel like it.

Mom: Well, think of all the things you are thankful for….God gave you them. God wants us to follow his rules, because he wants to be close to us, and his first rule is to keep Him first. By saying more prayers and giving things up we are showing him respect and treating him with justice, which he is due. Jesus showed us the golden rule- treat others as you would want them to treat you.
Is the girl treating God with justice? What do you think she should have done?

-Point out – in church Father says Let Us Give Thanks to the Lord our God. What do we answer? It is Right and Just.

We should want to do it because it is the right thing to do, not because we don’t want to get in trouble.

Correct Way:

Girl: Why do we say extra prayers and give things up for Lent?

Mom: Well, think of all the things you are thankful for….God gave you them. God wants us to follow his rules, because he wants to be close to us, and his first rule is to keep Him first. By saying more prayers and giving things up we are showing him respect and treating him with justice, which he is due. Jesus showed us the golden rule- treat others as you would want them to treat you.

Girl: Oh, I remember we were talking about that in Little Flowers lately. Thanks mom! I really do want to do what is right and show God just how much I love him! He made me and I want to thank him and show Him how much I love Him.


I am so glad that I started this blog because I know in 4 years from now when I am stuck doing Justice, I'll be able to just pull this up and print it out.  I will certainly be thanking Jessica again then!!

Order of Virtues

I guess I have confused some people by changing the order of virtues for the year.  While we did write out a calendar with the correct order, it still confuses people.  So why did I change them?  Well it just seems to make more sense to discuss the saints during the month of their feast day. When we were going over St. Lucy, it really worked well to talk about her feast during the month of December.  We made St. Lucy crowns and talked about how kids celebrate her feast in different countries.


Perfect idea for next year!!  I still believe that we should match the saint up with their feast month as much as possible.  At the beginning of the year, as to not confuse anyone, we will sit down the first night that we all have our books and write the month in which we will be discussing that particular virtue.  This should eliminate any confusion.

Now....will I remember this come next September?

Generosity - Wreath II

I got to take a break this evening from leading the meeting.  It felt so good to sit back and just enjoy the group. I think it's important that moms take turns with the meetings.  We all have such different styles and talents.  It's great for the girls.  It's also great because then I get a break!!

Our mom started the meeting by reading a wonderful story about St. Katharine Drexel.  Living in Pennsylvania, we have definitely heard the name Drexel.  We have Drexel University in Philadelphia.   It's good for the girls to know about the family who founded it.  She shared how generous St. Katharine was with not only her money but with her time.

After sharing about the saint of the month, the girls learned about generosity.  The mom read about the boy who shared his two fish and five loaves of bread with Jesus and his followers.  She read  the story  from here.   After that, she also shared the story of Kelsey from the same page.  I like how it was about a girl just like them.


For their craft, the girls made a great card with this month's scripture verse.  On the front is the two fish and five loaves of bread and inside is the verse.  They can set it by their bed to read each evening.  It's a great way for them to learn their verse. 

 As a special treat, they get to go undercover and be generous when they go home.  They received manila envelopes marked Top Secret and had their names on it.  Inside, they found sunglasses, fun little moustaches and instructions on doing random acts of kindness without being found out.  We got the idea from here.  They really loved this idea. 

Adopt a Cardinal

This would be a great thing to do with our group.   We won't be meeting for another week, but perhaps I will pass along this info to all the moms. 

From YOUCAT's Facebook page, it's an Adopt A Cardinal.   You'll need to put in your name and email address, and it will generator a Cardinal's name.  It will then email you a few facts about that cardinal. 

Our cardinals need our prayers and this would be a great way to involve our girls.

Modesty and Dressing for Mass

This can NOT be our daughters' role model.  How many times have I had to see this picture staring at me at the checkout counter?  How many times have my daughters viewed it or my son?  Even once is too many.  Since we are starting to get things ready for our tea party, I thought this month would be the perfect time to review modesty and also talk about how we dress for Mass.

I shared this picture with our group last night.  I don't think most of them even recognized who it was.  It certainly doesn't look like Hannah Montana.  I pointed out that the way she was dressed, people weren't seeing her for any of the gifts that God had given her.  We didn't see her voice or her acting skills, but just her body.  I used the book, Dressing With Dignity by Colleen Hammond in helping to plan my short lesson.

We talked about how we should dress for Mass.  We are located near a college campus and sometimes the outfits worn to Mass make me so sad.  I know they can be a distraction to me.  I can't imagine what it may be doing to my teenage son.  We need to make sure to be discussing clothing choices with our girls.   

For our activity, the girls got to be fashion designers.  They got to design an outfit to wear to church and also a casual one.  Moms were to help them decide what would be appropriate lengths for their skirts or shorts.  This was a huge hit.  The girls seemed to really enjoy creating their dolls.  Because our meeting was shortened, they really only had time to make one, but some of the girls gathered materials to take home with them to finish.  I supplied them with lots of fabric scraps, ribbon, yarn and googly eyes.  I also made card stock templates of the doll for the girls to help them cut out outfits.  I got the template from Wendy's Activities.

It's never to early to start talking to our daughters about modesty.  If we wait until they are teenagers, it's going to be too late.  This was certainly a fun and easy way to start or continue that discussion.